The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-11-04
THE sAMoANS FAMOUS DRINK.
How the Beverage Is Manufactured
story Told by Traveller.

HOW the Beverage Is Manufactured.
story Told by Traveller.
The mode Of living Of Samoans Is very
simple. and days pass sometimes without
Samoan partaking OF any hot food.
Cocoanuts. bananas, pineappies, yam and
mora particularly the bread fruit, once III
while some fish and a piece Of hog,
especially when it happens to be one OF
your white neighbours hogs, conclude the
| simple bill OF fare. One OF the greatest
beverages among the Samoans Is ava.
The ava (macropiper methysticum), which
grows in clusters from six 70 ten feet In
height. is q species OF pepper From It's
dried root is made an intoxicating bever-
ace which. when taken in small doses. Is
a delightful soporifc To drink ava IS
all very well il you do not see how IL Is
manufactured. But If you witness the
process. as | did on one occasion, when |
/ first sampled this native drink ] feel
assured that your taste for ava will be
somewhat changed.
While taking a stroll over Samoa one
fine afternoon came across large num-
Der of Apians. men and women, who were
sitting on the ground around one Of the
native huts. apparently engaged in some
very interesting work. Having lost my
way and being anxious 10 see all there
was TO be seen, | approached the crowd,
greeted my friends with "Kallohah,
and. with all the Samoan at my COM
mand explained my errand. The natives
treated me very kindly and at once in
vited me 20 take seat in their family
circle, Offering me the best place, between
two charming young girls, who wore
nothing in the shape of dress but the
usual 'lahpahlahpah. noticed that all
the women and young girls were engaged
I'm chewing at root, while on their laps
rested small cOcOanut bowls, which L
took - be spitt0ons, as they allowed the
Juice of the roots to drop into the bowls.
In the center of the circle stood larger
bowl. and whenever any Of the women
had cheved enough on the root she would
empty the contents Of her bowl into the
larger one / watched these proceedings
with great establishment and could not
imagine 20 what end these damsels eXer-
cised their jaws on those gray roots.
After the bowl in the center had been
about half filed with this brownish fluid
some lines and oranges were produced
and mixed with the rest, ana the mix OF
number Of cocoanuts added TO the whole
completed the Samoans' famous drink
called Java. " To see its manufacture
was bad enough but now came the hard
est part was supposed TO drink this
stuff. / was at q loss what TO do. |
knew that 81 refused 90 partake ] would
be insulting my host tried 70 make
believe that / was not thirsty, but this did
not seem TO work NO an, and TO my great
horror was offered the first drink after
the mixturc had been pronounced by the
oldest chief present % be an right Ny
fair neighb0r % the right offered me quite
a large bowl 6lled To- the brim with ava
and had % partake ! took q sip and
tried 20 return The balance because / did
not Like its peppcry taste, but it was 40
90. / had TO finish 10 was all that my
life was worth ! managed 20 get
through as best ] could and washed the
whole DOM with some cocoanut milk l
aftorward learned that had ] refused 10
drink with my samoan friends I certainly
would have been compelled TO quit their
presence u disgrace Gus. c. R0eder IN
New York World